Sanderson, Brandon. The Alloy of Law

Sanderson’s sequel to his popular “Mistborn” series is set three hundred years after the events of “The Hero of Ages” and society and technology have advanced accordingly, bringing his fantasy world up to a level roughly equivalent to our own Victorian/Wild West era. Waxillium Ladrian, or Wax, is a Twinborn gifted with both Allomantic and Feruchemical powers. Born into a noble family, Wax fled the glittering capitol city of Elendel as a young man to become a lawkeeper out in the wild Roughs. Now older, perhaps wiser, and certainly more jaded, he has returned to take up his role as the head of the Ladrian family following the death of his uncle. He has resolved to give up the coarse lifestyle of a backwoods lawman and marry for the good of his family, but soon finds that the city can be just as dangerous as the Roughs. A band of outlaws known as the Vanishers have been mysteriously robbing train cars and kidnapping noble women, then vanishing without a trace. When Wax’s own intended becomes one of those captives, he, his wise-cracking parter Wayne, and his intended’s bright cousin Marasi are honor-bound to solve the mystery and save the Vanishers’ victims—a task that will strain both their intellects and their Allomantic powers to their utmost.

A well-developed and unique setting paired with sparkling, sympathetic characters, witty dialogue, and a rollicking adventure make this title far from a stale rehash of the original series, but a fascinating outing in its own right. We can only hope for further adventures with Wax and his crew!